I am interested in starting to roast coffee at home, but before I buy any green beans I am wondering what the shelf life of the green beans is? If I purchase them now, do I have to roast them immediately upon receiving them?

Green beans generally will last one year, longer if packaged and stored properly, but the reverse is also true. Much of the coffee at our warehouse either arrives in Grainpro packaging or is moved to it. We re-package coffee upon arrival at our warehouse into smaller packs, particularly if it arrives in burlap sacks. We then pack the coffee in larger foil bags and/or smaller sealed polyproylene bags (1 or 2 pounds) before shipping to customers, so the beans are isolated from humidity and external tastes and odors.

Once you buy them, if you keep them in a cool place out of direct sunlight, they should last up to a year. Flavors gradually diminish and at that age you will not get most of the potential the coffee offered.